Jan 2019: 2014 Louis Jadot Clos St-Jacques, 1983 Mouton Rothschild, 2008 Pol Roger, 2008 Cristal, 1987 Guigal La Landonne

1999 Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Decanted on-site at Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin Singapore, 03 Jan 2019. Gentle medicinal tones and licorice allied with good concentration of ripe warm plummy fruit on the palate, structured with sweet tannins that impart gentle intensity of fruit, turning a bit more earthy and minerally over time, revealing good depth and layering on a cedary floor. Drinking well and unlikely to improve any further.

1987 E Guigal La Landonne, courtesy of Stephen Co at Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin Singapore, 03 Jan 2019. Deep purple. Gentle dark cherries, dark plums and raspberries dominate, still remarkably fresh and lively. Rounded with superb fullness, brightý lifted, imbued with sublime acidity and chewy tannins on a floor of very fine earthy minerals amidst a complex of charcoal and incense. Superb.

2010 Ch Le Doyenné, popped and poured at Ka Soh, 05 Jan 2019. Gorgeous layers of dark cherries, raspberries and dark currants dominate on the nose and palate, beautifully ripe, darkly delicious and rounded with finely-grained minerals that are very well integrated, developing further notes of red plums and cedar as its structured gritty tannins gained some lovely biting intensity. Eclipses the 2009, even though that was quite excellent too. A definite bargain at SGD45. We should be drinking such gems.

2010 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saints-Georges Les Pruliers 1er, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 12 Jan 2019. Dark vermillion. Medium-full, proffering gentle currants and dark cherries on the nose, positively glowing with excellent purity and definition. Wonderfully fresh and supple, evoking lovely tension across the palate that culminated in a bracing finish, exuding great confidence through its understated charm, verve and intensity. Very gentlemanly and correct, just entering its optimal drinking window. Best appreciated by connoiseurs of Henri Gouges.

2008 Champagne Pol Roger, courtesy of Vic at Sushi Koike, 18 Jan 2019. Fabulous clear crystalline tones and nutty flavors, well lit with green fruits amidst smooth creamy textures that exude a luxurious sheen, displaying good length and precision with a quiet intensity, revealing some yeasty pungency over time. Excellent.

2008 Champagne Cristal, courtesy of Vic at Sushi Koike, 18 Jan 2019. Gentle bouquet of yeasty tones, somewhat reticent. Rather dry, brightly lit and taut with a predominance of clear crystalline tones on the palate, yielding more layers of ferrous minerals as it took on a deeper note, developing absolute razor-sharp precision and focus over time with further notes of graphite and smoky characters. Very different from the Pol Roger but excellent as well.

2014 Domaine Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er, tasted after two hours of aeration in bottle at Sushi Koike, 18 Jan 2019. This wine opens with an abundant bouquet of rose petals with further notes of kumquat on the palate, structured with smooth supple tannins that build up to a lovely feminine intensity, finishing with excellent linearity.

2005 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay, popped and poured over dimsum at Asia Grand, 19 Jan 2019. A bottle I’d cellared for many years. Deep straw-colored, opening with dense green fruits and floral tones, revealing good concentration and intensity of fruit amid some chalky depth with a distinct glint of stern ferrous minerals that imparted a certain bitterness. Well-structured, but it began to fade a little as lunch wore on, lacking real distinction.

2005 Faiveley Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru, popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 23 Jan 2019. This wine opened with backward white floral tones as well as recessed chalkiness, failing to impress although it went on to develop better concentration and intensity of fruit and minerals with a more forward balance after an hour but it didn’t seem entirely convincing.

1983 Ch Mouton Rothschild, drunk from a pair aired in bottle over lunch at Alma, 24 Jan 2019, courtesy of SC. Deep garnet core with vermillion rim, proffering a lifted complex of dark plums, ripe tangerines, shrubs, red fruits and violets that delivered a wonderful fleshy presence on the palate, layered with dense tertiary nuances and dried mushrooms on a mild cedary floor laced with silky smooth tannins, finishing with gentle lasting intensity. Quite the epitome of mellowed elegance. Very lovely.

2017 Stoneburn Sauvignon Blanc, tasted at the Krisflyer Lounge of Heathrow London, 29 Jan 2019. Dry grassy elements. Concentrated palate of clear citrus and gravelly minerals that produced a sharp attack of refined acidity, finishing with decent spicy length. Highly serviceable.

2003 Ch Phelan Segur, popped and poured at Teochew City, 31 Jan 2019. Dark currants, dark plums and licorice dominate with good density on the nose, in contrast against gritty chewy tannins, leathery textures and a great deal of earthiness with traces of sweet on the palate, coming together very well by the penultimate pour. Very fine.